The use of skin traction in the adult patients with proximal femur fracture. What are the effects, advantages and disadvantages? A scoping review

Background: Hip surgery is normally the chosen therapy for proximal femur fractures. Surgery within 24–48 h after hip fracture is recommended, but surgery may not always be performed promptly. Consequently, skin-traction is applied to reduce complications. The purpose of this review is to assess both advantages and disadvantages of skin traction. Methods: A scoping review was conducted. The research question was: which are the effects of skin traction, its advantages and disadvantages in adult patients with proximal femur fractures hospitalised in orthopaedic wards? The search was done in the databases PubMed, CINAHL, Cochrane, Embase, DOAJ, ClinicalTrials.gov and OpenDissertation. Results: 9 records were included, skin traction effects were summarised in 7 categories: pain, pressure sores, comfort and relaxation, thromboembolism, damage from adhesive, complications and quality of care. The possible advantage is pain reduction between 24 and 60 h, the possible disadvantage is skin damage. Discussion and conclusion: The routine use of skin traction does not appear recommended, but more consistent evidence is necessary to make clinic decisions. Future RCTs could focus on the effects of skin traction 24–60 h after hospitalisation and before surgery

La XIV campagna di scavo, in Nora, area E. Le campagne 2003-2004

relazione degli scavi 2003-2004 a Nor

La pietra di Angera : uso storico, economico e problemi di conservazione

Tra le numerose pietre presenti nell\u2019architettura di Milano e in Lombardia, cavate a partire dall\u2019et\ue0 romana e continuativamente utilizzate anche nei periodi successivi, sicuramente la pietra d\u2019Angera riveste un ruolo importante. Questo litotipo fu usato prima e principalmente nelle aree del Varesotto e del Comasco e, successivamente, raggiunse le altre citt\ue0 lombarde attraverso le vie d\u2019acqua, a partire proprio da Milano, capitale dell\u2019Impero e poi del Ducato. Utilizzata gi\ue0 in epoca romana, lo sfruttamento intensivo della cava di Angera si colloca a partire dal medioevo e ha comportato profondi mutamenti nell\u2019aspetto fisico ed economico dell\u2019antico borgo lacustre; la ricerca storica rivela inoltre importanti interventi da parte viscontea in merito al suo utilizzo nel territorio ducale. La pietra \ue8 presente in numerosi edifici quattro-seicenteschi di Milano sottoposti negli ultimi anni a importanti controlli, indagini e restauri a causa della fragilit\ue0 della pietra, ampiamente utilizzata in contesti architettonici di grande pregio. La ricerca appena avviata coinvolge ambiti diversi di indagine, archeologici, storici, geologici e conservativi, e intende mettere a fuoco anche le attuali problematiche di conservazione legate alle caratteristiche di questo materiale e al suo degrado. Lo studio qui proposto intende riferire i primi dati raccolti e condividere domande su una tipologia litica molto diffusa in Lombardia, soprattutto nelle aree raggiunte dal Ticino e dal Naviglio, sulla quale si avviano solo ora studi trasversali e interdisciplinari

Archaeometric studies on a blue glass fragment from POMPEII: Case study

A sample of Roman glass found in Regio I, Insula 14, during the 1950’s Pompeii excavation was examined by Raman and Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The analyzed specimen was selected based on its intense blue color and its well-preserved aspect. The purpose of the work was the chemical characterization of Pompeii’s glass in correlation to the actual knowledge of Roman glassmaking technology from the Mediterranean area. The results suggested that the Pompeii’s glass was a soda-lime-silica glass, but with a higher calcium content that, given the low content of lead, was used to stabilize the glass. The sample was in origin produced most likely as non-decolorized primary raw materials from eastern Mediterranean sites. Moreover, the intense blue color was related to the use mainly of cobalt, present in a weighty amount, and likely used as important coloring agents in the ancient secondary glass-making workshop

Management and long-term follow-up of early stage H. pylori-associated gastric MALT-lymphoma in clinical practice: an Italian, multicentre study

Data on management and long-term follow-up of Helicobacter pylori-associated MALT-lymphoma in clinical practice are scanty. We evaluate the long-term efficacy of H. pylori eradication on low-grade MALT-lymphoma, and the efficacy of further therapies in refractory patients

Clinical and endoscopic presentation of primary gastric lymphoma: a multicentre study

Although the stomach is the most frequent site of intestinal lymphomas, few data are available on both clinical endoscopic presentation of gastric lymphoma and possible differences between low-grade and high-grade lymphomas

Indicators of guideline-concordant care in lung cancer defined with a modified Delphi method and piloted in a cohort of over 5,800 cases

Background: To identify indicators of guideline-concordant care in lung cancer, to implement such indicators with cancer registry data linked to health databases, and to pilot them in a cohort of patients from the cancer registry of the Milan Province. Methods: Thirty-four indicators were selected by revision of main guidelines by cancer epidemiologists, and then evaluated by a multidisciplinary panel of clinicians involved in lung cancer care and working on the pathway of lung cancer diagnosis and treatment in the Lombardy region, Italy. With a modified Delphi method, they assessed for each indicator the content validity as a quality measure of the care pathway, the degree of modifiability from the health professional, and the relevance to the health professional. Feasibility was assessed using the cancer registry and the routine health records of the Lombardy region. Feasible indicators were then calculated in the cohort of lung cancer patients diagnosed in 2007–2012 derived from the cancer registry of the Milan Province. Criterion validity was assessed reviewing clinical records of a random sample of 114 patients (threshold for acceptable discordance ≤20%). Finally, reliability was evaluated at the provider level. Results: Initially, 34 indicators were proposed for evaluation in the first Delphi round. Of the finally 22 selected indicators, 3 were not feasible because the required information was actually not available. The remaining 19 were calculated on the pilot cohort. After assessment of criterion validity (3 eliminated), 16 indicators were retained in the final set and evaluated for reliability. Conclusion: The developed and piloted set of indicators is now available to implement and monitor, over time, quality initiatives for lung cancer care in the studied health system